Concerning RingWraiths
by noruas bombadil
Summary: Talion has made his way to Remnant after the fall of Barad Dur. his arrival resulted in a battle that changed things forever. Almost two decades later the headmaster of Beacon would send a team through the same way Talion came through in order to defeat the RingWraiths that threaten to invade Remnant.(takes place after "Who do you think you are" in the 5 prime timeline)
1. Chapter 1

Sindral rushed through Forrest of Fangorn. Normally an elf would safe within the Ent's domain but the ents had sworn their neutrality in the matter of the free people against the remains of Sauron's armies. As such the wraith following him would be unhindered, they may even give him directions.

He heard the abomination behind him so he stopped. There was no outrunning him, all that was left was death. Sindral set the satchel he was carrying at his feet and drew his sword. The four foot sharpened piece of metal made a satisfying sound as it slid free of the scabbard.

The wraith's form coalesced in front of him dagger in hand. "The light," it hissed " give it to me and you may yet live."

Sindral knew the was being lied to. Wraiths were known for their passionate hatred of all things elven. But he also knew that he needed to keep the light of Galadriel out of the hands of this creature at any cost. "You want the light?" Sindral said holding the vessel the contained it in his hand's.

The wraith raised it's blade sensing that Sindral had no plans to hand over the light willingly. Sindral looked at the apple sized vessel and as he crushed it with his sword's pommel he shouted. "THEN YOU SHALL HAVE IT"

The explosion killed Sindral instantly and sent the Nazgul reeling in pain. When the wraith was able to look up it saw the light hovering in an ord the size of a pumpkin. All at once the orb shot off into the sky. The wraith knew where it was going. The light needed a vessel and it was moving to find one.

...

Tananthil was going through his wares looking for a trinket that he wanted to sell today when he noticed that there was a light coming from within his pack. He dug around and found a flawless diamond he was planning on selling in Minas Tirith that had somehow begun to glow.

He made an excited note to take a second look at then after he had finished his at hand business. Finding the item he set out for Tananthil held it up saying. "Well, mister Ganbrad what'aya think? It sharpens blades of all kinds and even serves as a quality paperweight."

The ranger he was attempting to barter with however wasn't looking at him. He was looking at his pack. " that light show it to me I may wish to buy it."

Tananthil knew better than to think that this ranger could offer him a fair price for it but he also knew that if the ranger wanted to he could kill Tananthil and take it so the salesman decided to humor him.

He pulled the gemstone out and showed it to the ranger being careful to keep his other hand near his dagger. " this is a diamond mined from the heart of the lonely mountain…" he said no more as the Ranger swiftly used his left hand to swat the gem away and as Tananthil went for his dagger the Ganbrad caught his hand and twisted his wrist in a painful fashion.

Tanathil's fighting stopped the moment he felt the edge of a knife rest on his throat. "where did you get that stone?"

"I admit that it's not really from the lonely mountain but I don't really know. A dwarf sold me the stone I swear it" Tananthil begged.

Ganbrad looked him over and knew that he was telling the truth. You see Ganbrad passed the light of Galadriel which looked just like the diamond that Tanathil now had to Sindral. if something was able to make Sindral break the vessel then it was most likely a wraith. There wasn't much else that could threaten a high elf.

That meant that there was wraith after the light and it was not getting to Minas Tirith. Ganbrad was a good ranger but Sindral was a high elf. If Sindral couldn't stop this wraith then he would be lucky just to slow it down.

"Follow me?" Gandbrad said as he lead Tananthil through the woods. To the cave, it was secretly kept by the ranger's no one actually knew where it lead but nobody who ever went in came back out so maybe it could take the light and keep it from the wraith.

When they reached the cave Ganbrad hesitated to go in was almost a death sentence but waiting for the wraith outside was just the same was waiting for him in a cave.

Leading Tananthil inside he was surprised to find not a monster but a dead end. With no skeletons. He was about to lead them out when he heard the Wraith's raspy voice behind him. " so the ranger had gone to ground. Give me the light and your death will be quick." the Wraith forewent the pleasantries he had used with Sindral. This was just a man with a sword and peddler.

Ganbrad drew his sword and ran at the wraith. If he died he would die fighting. And fight he did until the ranger deftly batted his sword away with an armored hand and ran a Morgul dagger through Ganbard's heart.

Tananthil scrambled back to the wall only to fell no wall. When he looked he saw that he was passed through some manner of illusion and found himself in a different cave. The wraith followed him through and simply walked after him as Tananthil got up and ran.

He found a group of teenagers using massive and outlandish weapons to fight was looked like monsters of pure darkness. The wraith was still behind him so Tananthil ran at the children shout. " save me please I beg of you he's going to kill me." a girl with blonde hair a white blouse and a riding crop asked him. " who is going to kill you?"

Tananthil went to speak only to have a ghostly green hammer crush his skull killing him instantly. Glynda quickly used her semblance to throw a large rock at the dark figure responsible when he teleported to her and drove his knee into her solar plexus.

Glynda slumped to the ground expecting to die when she saw a flash of white. Her teammate Johnathon Arc was fighting with whatever had attacked her. As Glynda felt herself fading out of consciousness due to not be able to breathe when she saw something that she would never forget.

Johnathon Arc was a legendary swordsman but this thing moved with a speed and struck with a strength that was unnatural. With one powerful swipe, he cut through Johnathon's blade and then in the same motion cut Johnathon's head from his body.

The battle that would be later known as the prisoner 1/0 incident had begun


	2. Chapter 2

Jorge shot upright in his bed. It was really more of a cot but that didn't matter. It was the small improvised bed placed in the headmaster's office. The roof was still under repair but it was good enough to live in for now.

He walked over to his desk and opened his computer. He was still in the process of waking up and the clock on his screen told him it was only three in the morning. Jorge opted to rub his eyes for a few seconds before he took a deep breath.

Jorge reached for the large Mason jar of water that Jorge left on his desk. He downed several long gulps. After draining the jar he put it back and made a mental note to fill it back up before he went to bed tonight.

The first email that Jorge saw was titled. "In regards to cafeteria funding." Jorge didn't need to read it to know what it was about. It was from the Vale council and in exchange for the funding that they provided for Beacon they had been making demands about what was to be purchased and who was to be hired.

They had once tried to dictate what the school should teach only for Jorge to explain to them in no uncertain words that there was no way in Hell that he would ever allow that. They had also used that as a way to leverage what they wanted to get other concessions. It was only with the careful guidance of Professor Port that Jorge didn't just tell the council to fuck off and storm out.

Negotiating with the council would suck but until his plan was finished there wasn't much he could do besides try and keep them negotiating. Thankfully Jorge was a master of bullshiting and had kept the council spinning their wheels trying to find a way for them to all agree on something.

In truth, this only confirmed what Jorge already knew. In all his lifetimes whenever he had seen a government try and work their way into education things ended badly. That was why Jorge had called up the aid to the former Count Maxamillian Lee. He accepted the job Jorge offered him almost instantly and set about buying up large amounts of several massive weapons companies. In effect, Jorge was getting a majority share in three of the four largest weapon companies on Remnant. The only one he wouldn't touch was the SDC since Jaques Schnee was in for a nasty day when his estranged daughter Winter who now held two seats on the atlas council brought anti-trust charges against him.

As such Jorge knew that the large company was not long for this world. When his screen flashed a new email Jorge was glad to see the report from his aid. The task was complete and now Jorge could turn to his own soon to be impressive finances to pay for the school.

All he needed now was for the SDC to be crushed under the iron boot of the Atlas Anti-trust laws. That would make the stocks he now held jump up in value tremendously. Jorge needed to entrust the managing of the stocks to his aid but that was not an unreasonable request. The aid had always been honest with Jorge and he had seen first hand what Jorge did to people who earned his eire.

The elevator opened as the workers that had been repairing the office came in. they had their tools belts on and got right to work.

As an act of goodwill Jorge had a coffee maker installed in the office for the men. Now that they were here it was time to use it. Jorge looked at the machine sitting on the folding table at the other end of the room.

Jorge used the force to lift a pen from his desk and after a bit of practice moving it around he used the force to launch the pen across the room and hit the power button. Jorge had learned that his "semblance" was, in fact, a power called the force that he was skilled at using but only in massive bursts.

Once Jorge remembered what the force was he began to train himself to use it in a less powerful way. It was the firm belief of Professor Port that because of his battle focus Jorge had forgotten the metaphorical muscle memory involved in the delicate applications of the Force.

The machine started brewing so Jorge got back to his work. He needed to find a new headmistress and while his first thought would have been to offer Winter Schnee the post he knew that she couldn't accept with her new role in Atlas.

Jorge thought back to the reason both for Winter's new posting as well as for the need for second in command. Glynda had been killed during the siege of Vale. Her death had broken General Ironwood. Jorge knew the pain that the man was going through all too well. There wasn't too much of his past that he remembered but he could never forget Suzail.

He could never forget the pain of losing her. It was a pain that was brought back to him in full when… Jorge shook his head. He needed to avoid thinking about her as much as possible. It would only make the nightmares worse and now the students needed him at his best.

With Glynda dead and General Ironwood broken, Winter had been given the general's old post. As such, she was unable to take on any more responsibilities. In truth, Jorge felt bad for the elder Schnee sister. She had cried at Glynda's funeral and Jorge had a pretty good idea why.

James Ironwood had practically raised Winter from the age of eight. And if she were a boy then he would have made her into an exemplary soldier. But she wasn't a boy so as she progressed into her teenage years she began to experience puberty. Needless to say, the general had absolutely no idea how to handle it.

So he called the only woman he trusted to help his "cadet,". He called Glynda. The good witch had been a major influence in Winter and filled the mother shaped whole that Willow Schnee had left in the girl's heart.

When Glynda died Ironwood lost the love of his life but Glynda lost her true mother. Yet she hadn't cracked like James had. There was only one explanation, Qrow Branwen had become a nearly constant addition by her side was no doubt doing his best to help her through this trying time.

Jorge had also offered the job to Qrow but he knew that it was pointless. Qrow wasn't leaving Winter's side any time soon. That left only one other person who could fill the post and that was none other than Kaanaick's own brother Neverun. Jorge trusted him and knew that he was a competent warrior who could hold the job long enough for Jorge to find a better long term replacement.

Jorge sent him a message outlining the request and he was waiting for the response when he got a text from Professor Port telling him that he was needed in the combat classroom. Jorge wasn't certain what the older man meant but he was willing to humor the eccentric professor on account of said professor's past achievements.

After he boarded the elevator Jorge looked back to his phone. There was no update from Neverun so he when the elevator stopped he got off and walked the short distance to the Combat Classroom.

The room was dark and that instantly set Jorge on edge. He had no idea what he was walking into now and his weapon hand was getting closer to his pistol. When he heard a quiet snicker that hand froze.

This was no emergency it was a surprise. Jorge had been expecting something to this effect for a few days now. There had been no formal celebration for what he had done during the so-called "war for vale." so when he found out that the students were sneaking party supplies into Beacon he did some pretty easy math to find out what they had planned.

Jorge wanted to turn around and leave but he knew that he needed to get this over with. He took a calming breath and walked through the door. The lights were all turned on and the students jumped out from their hiding spots to shout and yell in joy.

Jorge knew that they all meant well but he didn't want to deal with this, the War was a memory that he wanted to forget. He could do so but if he did then it would be irresponsible Jorge had to live with everything he knew. That would be his punishment for failing her.

So he put on a smile and acted like he was glad that everyone was celebrating. When his scroll rang he was relieved to check it. The message was from Dr. Oobleck. It asked him to come to Glynda's old quarters immediately

When he arrived the door was open and the Dr. was standing inside looking at a board of photos and pins connected with Yarn. they all focused around a man who looked sickly pale with dark blue veins in his face.

It was Prisoner 1/0 he had gotten loose shortly before Christmas and hadn't been seen in months. That unsettled Jorge since the reports about Prisoner 1/0 said he was extremely deadly.

"He killed with ease and without a thought," Oobleck said. " of the eight teams that ended up being assigned to that battle only four made it out. And they never faced him directly."

Jorge knew there was more than Oobleck was saying but didn't want to press the matter for now. Instead, he asked. " what was Glynda's involvement in all of this?"

The Dr's eyes never left the board as he said. " she was on the first team to encounter him. He nearly killed her but Johnathan Arc stepped in. that monster killed him but John lasted long enough for my team to arrive."

Oobleck stopped for a second and looked like he was staring through the wall. All at once Jorge knew what Oobleck had been holding back on. He was there, he fought against Prisoner 1/0.

" in the span of only four seconds, I lost six of the best friends I've ever had. It was all I could do to drag Glynda away while he was slaughtering the next team that got to him."

It was clear that Oobleck was doubting if his actions were born from his logic telling him that fighting Prisoner 1/0 was futile or if it was his own cowardice that drove him to run when his friends fought.

Oobleck continued his telling of the events. " after he had killed a fourth team an evacuation was being ordered. But it wasn't needed. An old man in a drown robe with birds in his hair and a wooden staff came out of nowhere and used what I can only describe as magic to somehow render that thing comatose."

Oobleck was done talking about that day and Jorge could tell. "I'll deal with him, you have my word," he said. This thing was loose and that needed to change.

Oobleck looked ready to speak most likely to warn against going after Prisoner 1/0 but before he could he remembered that it was Jorge who killed the creature that defeated Ozpin. In truth, the Dr. had no idea of the level of power that Jorge possessed.

Jorge grabbed the file on the prisoner and started to read while the Dr. left Jorge found the name of the place where the battle took place. It was on the same patch of forested land that Glynda died on.

Jorge took out his scroll and dialed up one of the pilots. " I need a flight to the eastern edge of the Emerald forest."

"Understood sir," came the response.

Without a word to anyone Jorge headed for the docks. By the time he was there, team RWBY was waiting for him.

"Where are you going?" Ruby asked with her hands on her hips. " your party is still underway so why are you calling a pilot to take you to the forest?"

Jorge didn't want to tell them that he was going after Prisoner 1/0 but he needed to give them an answer. " I am going to spot Glynda died at, I intend to search the area."

He hoped that they wouldn't ask him why he wanted to do that since he didn't want them to follow him on his mission to kill Prisoner 1/0.

His hopes were dashed when Ruby said. " well we're coming with you. Five sets of eyes are better than 1."

She did her best to put finality into her tone but she held the nervousness that someone who knew they were trying to dictate to their headmaster.

"No, you won't. This is going to be too dangerous for the three of you," Jorge said stepping around them.

"I think you mean four of us," Weiss corrected.

"I don't count her," he answered pointing to Yang who was staring off into space. "She hasn't been up to service standards since Kaa died, until Dr. Oobleck clears her she isn't going anywhere"

Jorge turned around and kept heading for the Bullhead.

"And what about Pyrrha?" Ruby said. She knew that it was going to hurt but it needed to be said. Jorge had been through the same thing as Yang. And if he was planning on running off on some dangerous mission then they were going with him.

Jorge didn't say a word but for a moment he stopped like he had been punched. He was trying to determine the right way to handle the situation but he wasn't sure what to do. A piece of him wanted to lash out in anger but he knew that was just the pain talking.

He thought it through and chose instead to respond by turning around and saying. " I have been through this before and I was fine then. I can take care of myself. Yang probably doesn't even know what day it is. I am going alone, that is final."

Thankfully nobody seemed eager to argue with him. Instead wanting to tend to their responsibilities. Leaving him to tend to his.

"Sir, we're ready to go." his pilot called to him.

"Get us in the air," Jorge yelled over the roar of the now active engines. The Bullhead was just taking off as he made it to the boarding ramp. Soon he was buckled into his seat and looked around at the inside of the empty vessel.

It seemed like only yesterday that him, his team, and Kaanaick were riding in a Bullhead like this to reinforce team RWBY at Fort Vindobona. Jorge thought about Kaanaick. He had heard about his death from Blake

…

Kaanaick knew that they were in trouble. For some reason, a large number of Grimm had attacked the fort from the direction of Vale. The GC's told them that Vale had been saved but that meant that these Grimm were retreating and lashing out whenever they could.

They had broken through the main gate three days ago. Fortunately, he and Yang had been able to hold the gate long enough for the GC's to get in position to force them out.

They had plenty of supplies but little in the way of manpower. They had lost Simo and Mawhinney. If nothing happened then they were in for a bad day. The GC's were amazing but only mortal. And as such their numbers were cut back day after day. Now the fort was on its last leg. Thankfully the Grimm seemed to be thinning out which meant that the end was near.

Kaa looked around the mess tent and saw Yang sitting with her team. He brought his own tray over and sat down next to her. He was happy to see that she was still wearing his armor. It felt right somehow seeing her in his armor.

When she saw him coming Yang nudged her sister who was sitting next to her. The pint-sized reaper then looked around and when she saw Kaa she grinned before moving to the other side of the table. This left only one seat open. The one right next to Yang.

Kaa and Yang had been growing closer for some time now. It was almost an unspoken rule that nobody talked about it. Everyone wanted to see how far they would go. To the outside observer, it probably looked like they were dating.

Kaa took his seat and was about to eat the slice of buttered bread that he got with his rations when the alarms rang out, an air raid was coming.

They ran out to see what was going on. Once they were all outside it was clear that all Hell was about to break loose. There was a massive squadron of Nevermores overhead. Almost as many as the time that Jorge used his semblance to save the day.

But Jorge wasn't here today. Kaa saw several of the fort's wounded trying to drag themselves to safety. They had been in tents in order to cut down on the risk of them getting contaminated. This also meant that they were vulnerable to this kind of attack.

Thinking fast Kaa ran out from his cover and began using his R&A Sharps to pick off every Nevermore he could. He only had five rounds left so he used the first four to kill the birds that would have fired on the group on injured men. He was reloading to kill the one that was about to fire on him when one of the men shouted.

" There are still men in the tents,"

The soldier didn't know it but he had just sealed Kaa's fate. Ignoring the Nevermore about to kill him he finished loading his last shot and fired kill a fifth Nevermore. He looked over to Yang who was staring at him. He could tell what she was thinking. He held out his hand to tell her to stop. There was no point in her dying too.

With a look to say goodbye to his friends, Kaanaick Nylf closed his eyes and accepted his death with dignity. No sooner had he done this then he was butchered by a barrage of feathers.

…

Jorge remembered the first time he found Yang after it happened she was passed out at Junior's. It was the only place willing to sell to a minor in exchange for her not starting a fight.

She was asleep on a stool with an empty whiskey bottle in one hand and her old orange t-shirt now full of holes and soaked in blood in the other.

Jorge was still a mess from losing Pyrrha but his instincts told him he needed to help her so he half carried half guided her to the bullhead docks and told the pilot to get her to Professor Port.

The portly instructor had taken Glynda's place as Beacon's therapist. He had been busy as of late but when he got a whiff of Yang's breath he would make sure to talk with her.

Jorge's mind started to wander to Pyrrha but thankfully before they could the man flying his bullhead spoke over the intercom. "Headmaster, we have arrived at the drop point. Once I get us into a solid hover at thirty feet I'll lower the door."

Jorge felt the bullhead slow down and descend. As the door opened he looked out over the now destroyed part of the forest and jumped out.


	3. Chapter 3

When he landed Jorge looked around and saw that small patches of grass had begun to grow on the battlefield. It was a poetic scene that another person might say showed the resilience of life.

Even after a dozen of the cities, greatest defenders fell in battle. And the very ground they died on was now showing new life. Jorge looked the field over and began to search for where Glynda had died.

He knew that he needed to find Prisoner 1/0 but right now he also needed a minute to pay his respects. He followed the post-action report's land markers and found a broken sword that looked long enough to be used as a dagger planted into the ground.

Jorge recognized this dagger. But he wasn't certain where he had seen it before. He also didn't have long to think about because he could feel someone watching him. He turned around and saw Ren and Nora staring at him.

"What are you two up to all the way out here," he asked.

"We were looking for you," Nora answered with her usually the chipper demeanor. Jorge fought the urge to smile when he remembered how fast Nora recovered from losing Pyrrha. Her and Ren managed to get each other back on their feet and ready to go in a week.

That didn't mean that they were being given any missions yet. Jorge was still too worried about either of them getting hurt for that.

"Here I am," Jorge said, holding his arms out wide to make his point. "What can I help you with?"

"We just wanted to find you," Nora said. "Ruby told us you were going to the old battlefield so we wanted to see what you were doing "it was clear that Nora was worried about him. It was to be expected. None of them but Ren understood what he was and they thought he would still be shaken from Pyrrha's death. And in a way he was, but he was used to this manner of shakenness. He had survived it when he lost Suzail and he would survive when this.

"You two shouldn't be here, it's not safe," Jorge said trying to get them to leave the area so he could complete his search.

His words set Ren on edge and got Nora's full attention. " what are you talking about?"

"He's talking about me," a raspy voice said causing Nora and Ren to snap their heads to see the man who just seemed to appear to their left.

Ren's hand twitched towards his gun only to stop when the man said. " Don't try it. If I wanted to kill you I already would have, my quarrel is not with you but him," the man who had a hood and helmet on that hid his face said as he pointed to Jorge.

"You will take me to the light, now," the man said in a commanding voice.

Jorge looked like he was trying to remember who this man was. It was the clear this prisoner 1/0 but Jorge had a feeling he knew more about him.

" I will not ask you twice," the man said his voice taking on a more threatening hiss.

The sound of a blackened sword being drawn seemed to bring all the pieces together." you have no idea who I am do you?" Jorge asked.

Instead of answering the man raised his hand to a fighting stance. Jorge waved his hand and a portal appeared behind Ren and Nora. " I will talk to the two of you later, right now I need space." understanding his meaning they both went through the portal that lead them to their dorm room

…

Jorge shifted his gaze back to the wraith. His body shifted to an older form. His beard was longer and now went from black to grey. His clothing morphed to show a suit of armor that also had a grey tint. His sword, however, was a bright red.

He knew that he may look like Gandalf to some but Isildur would know better.

"The GreyBane," the wraith hissed lurching back like it had been struck." you left middle earth lifetimes ago,"

" I left, I did not die. Now you will take me to your point of entry into this land," Jorge said as he walked over to the now paralyzed wraith.

Without a word, the spectral form of Isildur coalesced on its knee. A clear sign of submission that the ranger had no answer for. He wanted to raise his blade but he felt something driving him not to.

" the ring," Jorge said holding his hand out. Talion was hesitant at first. His corruption desiring the power of the ring more than it feared Jorge. Yet the more time passed the more the corruption faded until he was able to strip the ring from his hand.

The wound on his throat remained sealed which shocked Talion. It made no sense to him but he also knew better than to question it. Holding the ring out to Jorge he felt it calling out to him. If he didn't know any better then he would say that the ring sounded panicked.

Jorge took the ring and close his fist around it. All at once the Ring's influence ceased. It was as though the soul within that had been poisoning Talion for so many years and had been poisoning Isildur for hundreds more was destroyed.

Opening his hand Jorge presented Talion with a new ring. This one was smaller than the first one. A fact that peaked Talion's interest since the wraith of Isildur slowly faded away. Just before it was gone from sight Talion heard it say in a voice that sounded more like a man than a wraith.

"Blessed GreyBane, you have cleansed me from the power of that cursed ring. I am now free to the gift of man."

The words were spoken with such relief that at first Talion was unsure of whether or not they were Isildur's. But with the wraith gone and Isildur presumably dead it no longer mattered.

Talion held his hand to his throat. With the ring seeming powerless then nothing was keeping him alive. Yet blood flowed not from his neck. Instead, he felt his wound heal slowly. And in a more permanent fashion than ever before. He felt his blood start to flow for the first time in decades.

Warth rushed through his body and he looked to Jorge. He asked him. " what did you do? Did you destroy the ring's power?"

Jorge nodded. "No, instead of destroying it I changed it. Rather than use its power to keep you and Isildur alive and enslaved to it, I used its power in a far more honorable venture."

From behind him Talion heard a shocked gasp and when he turned around the air was pulled from his lungs Dinhreal and Loreth stood before him. Alive as the day they died.

Talion's feet carried him at a speed he had not known in years. They ran as well and meet him halfway. They embraced in silence for several minutes before Dinhreal spoke up saying. " Father, you look older."

A loud laugh rose from Talion was he held his son tightly in his arms. Turning back to Jorge he asked. " GreyBane, what can I give you as repayment?"

Jorge shook his head and answered. " I did this not for payment, but for the reward, you have been due. You spent decades fighting to hold back the forces of Mordor. Middle Earth owes you more than it can ever understand."

Talion looked around Remnant. As he did he seemed to remember what happened on this very ground almost twenty years ago. A look of pain and disgust covered Talion's face.

Loreth noticed this and asked him. " Talion my love what's wrong?"

It was clear that Talion didn't want to tell his wife about what he had done. Any of it. His war for Mordor and his actions on Remnant.

" I am afraid that I need to speak to him for a moment ma'am," Jorge said motioning for Talion to follow him.

They were just out of earshot when Jorge turned to him. " there are people here who would want you dead if they knew who you were but if you can help me I can help you find a newer and safer home here."

Jorge felt a little bad about how he was doing this. After all, Talion would do anything for his family, Hell, he tore about half of Mordor out of anger when they were taken from him.

" What is it?" Talion asked he had the eyes of a man who knew that nothing was truly impossible with the time and dedication.

"I need to know how you got here and why you came here. Additionally, I need to ask that you come work as a tracking instructor at my academy." Jorge said.

Talion thought about the offer before answering. " okay, I entered through a cave two hundred paces that way," as he spoke he pointed at a small rock formation.

"Good," Jorge said shifting back to his younger form. Talion was less shocked by this now that he had seen the reverse a few minutes ago but it was still unsettling. "You are going to get into the flying machine I am about to call her and when you land you will find a man named Port. I would recommend ignoring and outright avoiding a tall skinny man with green hair."

With that done, Jorge walked over to the cave scroll in hand as he dialed Port's number.

"Professor, I need you to tend to the newest hire. His name is Talion, he looks similar to Prisoner 1/0 but I assure you it is simply an unfortunate coincidence."

Port took a moment to respond saying. " I understand but I must ask you. What did you do with the queen of the Grimm?"

Jorge was hesitant to answer. He knew that Port could tell that there was more to the story than Jorge just killed her. Least of all since killing an immortal caused major repercussions.

" I sent her to the realm of Coldharbour," Jorge said. He knew that Port wouldn't like that answer but he didn't care Salem had killed Pyrrha, she deserved a fate far worse than death could offer her.

"Jorge!" the professor gasped. It was clear that he was upset by the news. How could you do that, you know what Molag Bal does to people. And when he learns that she is immortal. The horror."

"She killed Pyrrha, she deserved worse," Jorge said, he was hoping that the edge he felt in his voice wasn't coming across as threatening. Peter was his friend and he wanted to keep it that way.

There was no further response from the other end just a tired sigh and a line clicking off. Jorge looked back to the cave. He wasn't sure how the portal had formed here but he knew that he had to do something about it. If he closed it that should solve the problem but that may just force a second one to open.

He would need to go through to Middle Earth and try and solve whatever problem had to force Talion into Remnant. It was the only way to ensure that the reason for this passage being opened was dealt with.

Jorge knew that he needed to send in a team since he needed to stay at Beacon but then he needed to figure out who to send.

Port was out of the question. He was still too important to the operation of the School. That ruled out Neverun, Oobleck, and team JSOQ.

JSOQ was a team of top tier mercenaries that were on call for Beacon as a student rescue QRF.

That left only two people. Raven Branwen, ( not that she was too likely to answer without some encouragement.)

And James J. Ironwood. After Glynda died he lost his sense of self. He blamed himself and he was trying to drink himself into an early grave. Thankfully Winter had been preventing that but James was still a mess. He hadn't left his quarter's in the last two weeks. He was hopefully sober by now but he was still looking for a way to end it all. Jorge had seen it before and he was going to see it again.

A warrior that doesn't want to live but can't kill themselves. It was the opposite of what they had been trained for and went against the very fiber of their being.

Looking around to make sure nobody was watching him Jorge raised his left hand and with his left thumb and middle finger. "SNAP"

He was now in James' quarter's the general looked like he was wasting away and he probably was. Winter had gotten him to stop drinking but getting him to eat was going to be challenging.

"James," Jorge said drawing the attention of the broken man. " I have a mission for you, it's going to be long dangerous and will most likely kill you but it may help to buy Remnant time."

Ironwood's posture visibly improved as he stood up and asked: " were, when, what, and why?"

Without missing a beat Jorge answered. "Mordor, ASAP, hunt wraiths, so they don't come here and hunt us."

Ironwood nodded in agreement and held out his right hand. "I'll do it," he said.

Jorge smirked in a way that gave James a slightly uneasy feeling but before the general could say anything Jorge reached out and grabbed the man's right hand before raising his left and with his thumb and forefinger "SNAP"

The sudden transition from the darkroom to team JNPR's bright dorm was jarring for the general, to say the least. He was about to ask what had happened when he decided that it was best that he never know and do his best to forget that it ever happened.

"I have a mission for you two, it will get you out and earning some experience and it will also get you some fresh air. What do you say?" Jorge asked Ren and Nora.

He knew what they were going to say but he still needed to ask them just to make sure. And as he figured after a shared look Ren said. "Count us in, what are the details?"

"He will fill you in, get the docks, take nothing but your clothes with you. You will need to get weapons there." Jorge said. He didn't want Ren and Nora bring StromFlower and Maginhild to Middle Earth. The thoughts of the dwarves getting their hands on Maginhild were unsettling, to say the least.

Without a word, they both walked over and took their place behind General Ironwood who now looked more like a retired cop than a malnourished general. His posture was good and his face was stern but he still had an overgrown beard as well as hair that was definitely not within regulations.

Jorge left them to go make a few calls. He needed to see about getting ahold of Raven so that Neverun didn't have to do Glynda's job alone. It was a long shot but it was all he had right now.

"So," Nora said looking at Ironwood. " who are you?" she asked wanting to know who she was going to be following on this op.

"Not a babysitter, you two should stay here," he said bluntly as he left the room.

At first, he was pleased to hear nothing behind him only to frown deeply when Nora burst out of the room after him with Ren slung over her shoulders. James sighed deeply, this was going to be a long and frustrating mission that was probably going to fail.

When they made their way back to the docks they found that there was one waiting for them. The pilot looked mildly confused but that seemed to be the flavor of the day to Ironwood. "Take us to the drop point," he said to the pilot.

Without a word, the pilot turned back to his console and took off. Once more James had hoped that the two students he had been saddled with would have fallen behind and he could simply forget them.

They were unfortunately still right after him and by now had buckled themselves into the seats across from him. Knowing that he was stuck with them for now he sat down and hoped for a silent slight.

This too turned out to be a fruitless hope since the ginger was pestering him about where they were going and what they were doing.

It was the first time in several years that he was glad for the hearing damage he had received over his lifetime. All he had to do was turn down his subdermal hearing aids and she was a quiet as a mouse. True it was a mouse that was somehow jumping up and down in front of him in spite of being buckled in but it was still quiet.

They had reached the drop point soon enough and once they were on the ground James got a message on his HUD that told him his objective was in the cave system to his east.

As he looked around he recognized where he was. It took all of his willpower not to have a breakdown.

This was the ground that SHE had died on. He had seen it coming and was powerless to stop it. Just another way that he had been nothing more than a fucking failure. He had lost too many students that day as well as Glynda.

He could still see her eyes as his damned men dragged him back from the front. She was scared and in pain. The last thing he saw in her eyes was the realization that they had both made mistakes.

That final look was one love and that made it sting all the more. If she had looked at him like she hated him then he could have moved on. But she didn't, instead in her eyes, he saw all of the memories that they were never going to get to make die at the same time she did.

Shaking his head to rid himself of thoughts from the past James entered the cave and saw that it lead to a light source. the cave let out in a lush forest of deciduous trees. At the entrance of the cave, James found a dead body.

When he heard the muffled gasp from the redhead behind him he remembered that his hearing aid was turned down. Resetting it to a normal level he turned to them. "It's not too late to turn back." he said'

Much to his chagrin this only seemed to steel their conviction. Resulting in James grunting incoherently and heading into the forest.


	4. Chapter 4

"We'll set up camp here for now," James said. The two children set about clearing out the area in a way that surprised James. They were better at it than they should have been getting the area prepped in a few minutes while James scanned the area for threats. He didn't find any and figured that this was as good fo a place as any to ditch the kids.

" I'm going to recon the area stay here," he grumbled as he walked off into the forest. He wasn't sure why he was here but he was going to do his best to find out what, and where these ringwraiths Jorge had spoken of where.

As he walked through the woods his heads up display told him that there was a heat signature to her left hiding behind one of the massive trees that littered the forest. The signature was alone but that didn't do anything to lessen James' worries. It was also clearly female by the build.

" You can stop hiding I don't plan to attack you," James said. He tried not to sound annoyed but he wasn't doing a very good job.

She stepped out from behind the tree while saying. " I'm impressed there are few men who can spot an elf that wishes not to be seen."

She had fair skin and blonde hair could be seen underneath her hood. The armor she was wearing gave the look of scales and feathers like some kind of dragon bird with two short swords crossed over her back. James wasn't sure why but he didn't trust her for some reason.

When she took a step closer he slipped his left hand into his coat. The act was clearly a move to grab a weapon so the elf took a half step back and drew her own shortswords.

James drew his pistol and quickly leveled it at her, something she was most likely not ready for him to do since she stood there not moving.

They both stood in uncomfortable silence until the elf spoke up. " My name is Eltariel," she said nodding towards Ironwood. "Yours?"

"James Ironwood," he had to fight the instinctive action of saying General James Ironwood. He no idea where he was but he didn't think his rank meant much here.

"Why are you here?" James asked hoping to keep her answering questions until he could figure out why he didn't trust her.

Without much hesitation, Eltariel answered him. " I am here at the behest of my lady Galadriel, she has tasked me with giving something to a man that was as she said, " made of Iron, would you be that man?"

James thought carefully before he answered. " I don't know but my name is Ironwood,"

Eltariel looked like she was in thought for a moment before she said. " then I guess that you are close enough for me," taking off the ring she was wearing and tossing it to him. Without another word she walked off into the forest and was gone in a matter of seconds.

Looking at the ring now in his hands James hesitated for a moment. The ring seemed to radiate both energy and heat. It was calling to him. Asking to be worn, James wasn't sure what to do with it.

Without another option, James gave in to the pull that the ring was giving off and slipped it onto his left index finger.

All at once a wave of power flowed out across his arm and across his flesh and bone body. It felt like his aura had been charged. He only felt this kind of power the first time he had his aura unlocked. He felt stronger and faster, it was odd he had no idea how this ring had affected him in such a way but then his right arm, side, and leg began to ache and then burn.

James quickly took off the ring and felt the pain in his right half cease. The ring still called to him thought so he made the choice to put the ring on his right index finger.

This time the same power flooded through his right side but instead of strengthening his aura it did something entirely unexpected. It gave him a sense of feeling in his right arm, leg, and side.

A strange light filled his prosthetics and he could feel movement within his cybernetics. James wanted to remove the ring but he couldn't. It had melted through his glove and fused with his hand.

Now the world around him shifted. The color faded and he found himself in a world of darkness. Yet there was still matter in this darkness. James could see the children even though the forest should have obscured them from him. He looked beyond them and saw Eltariel, she stood before a tall and beautiful woman. They must have been a half a mile away but the tall woman turned to look at him.

She was so far away yet he saw her in such detail. " The man made of iron with a will to match now wears the new ring."

It was clear to James that she was speaking to him but her lips never moved. "Who are, how do you know of me?"

Her lips still held in a light smile the woman's voice said " I am Galadriel of Valinor, and I have been gifted with the power of foresight. You will play a major role in the bringing of the fourth age. Or in its destruction. That is for you to decide."

In the following silence, she tilted her head slightly to the right and asked him. " I remind you of someone don't I?"

James didn't answer, he couldn't she reminded him so much of Glynda. The grace with which she was speaking and the look of her face brought back memories of the last time he had held Glynda in his arms. It was the Vytal festival ball, just two months after the Prisoner 1/0 incident.

Their relationship had been falling apart and they had decided that they would try to save it one last time at that dance. James went and spent most of his food money for the rest of that semester on the best suit and haircut he could.

When he picked Glynda up she looked angelic. James stood in her dorm's doorway just staring at her. It sounded cliche but he just couldn't take his eyes off of her. When she laughed at his predicament the hold she seemed to have over him only got stronger.

It was the perfect night that was giving James hope for the future until the last dance of the night. It was a slow and gentle song so Glynda and James were dancing close together with her had on his chest.

James could feel the fear building in her. Ever since it had happened she was afraid of being loved, she didn't think that she deserved it. One of James' hands slid up her back and softly held the back of her head. " I love you, Glyn," he said. " I always will nothing will change that cause nothing can change that,"

She looked up at him with tear-filled eyes and was about to speak when they were rudely shoulder checked by a very intoxicated Gorga Nikos.

She looked like it was an accident but James was still annoyed by it. " please try and watch where you going," he growled.

Gorga looked right past him and to Glynda. The innocent look she had faded as her face twisted in disgust. "What are YOU doing here?" she asked.

It was a well-known fact that Gorga had fallen in love with Johnathan Arc. when he was killed it changed her, made her bitter. James knew what was coming and knew that he wasn't able to stop it.

"You get your entire team killed and then you have the nerve to show up here!" Gorga spat. Her words were filled with venom and James watched as each one hit Glynda harder and harder.

Glynda shook herself free of James' arms and ran out the main door of the dance hall. James felt his left-hand yank Gorga's head back by her hair as his right formed a fist. He knew that he had long ago told himself that he would never hit a woman out of a

ger but right now he didn't care. Gorga was a skilled warrior but James had a right hand made of literal steel. A clean punch at his maximum power could severely injure or even kill her outright.

Luckily for her someone strong grabbed him but the wrist and planted their other hand on his shoulder. With death in his eyes, James looked to see Peter Port holding him back with Bartholomew Oobleck at his side.

Oobleck had been at the massacre. He was the reason that anyone survived. While him and Glynda's teams were slaughtered in the blink of an eye he grabbed Glynda and managed to drag her to safety.

It weighed on him that he hadn't stood with his team at the end but James was eternally grateful to him for saving Glynda that day. "Glynda James," Oobleck said. His point was clear and James released Gorga and ran after her, but it was too late. She had locked herself in her dorm and she wasn't going to let him in.

James waited until the next morning but she wasn't going to break. She had been convinced that she didn't deserve to be loved after what happened to her team. And she was afraid of losing him just like she did her team.

James still refused to give up on her though. He sat outside her door until General Reidling found him. He simply offered his hand to the man who was slumped against the wall. James was beaten and he knew that he had lost Glynda.

Without a word James took the hand and was helped to his feet. At first, James wondered why the headmaster of Atlas Academy would come all the way to Beacon to get one of his students back.

That was the day that James began his training to become the next General of Atlas. Reidling had seen something in him, something so important that he was willing to cross two continents to get him back.

Reidlig knew that James was a dedicated man. At first, that dedication was split between his missions and Glynda. The fact that he still did as well as he had was a testament to his skill. Once he was no longer tied to Glynda then his focus would be entirely on his missions and Reidling knew that James was going to have but one love now. Atlas. That made him the perfect person to one day take Reidling's place.

He had been wrong of course James still loved Glynda but he had done his best not to let that influence his work. Which lead him back to the here and the now.

Galadriel was still staring at him as though she had seen his mind. And for all, he knew she had. That didn't matter though, " I am here to hunt the creatures known as the Ringwraiths. Do you know where I should start?"

"Perhaps I can help with that," a new voice said. James turned tot he sound and saw a ghostly being whose face looked like it had once been beautiful but was since scarred beyond recognition. His armor looked similar to Eltariels but it had several more plates and less mesh.

" I am Celebrimbor and you now wear my new ring, if you wish to hunt the wraiths then we will need to prepare. Follow me," he said waling off.

"Why are you helping me?" James asked. He didn't trust this Celebrimbor person and he wanted to know what he was getting into.

" I have worked with man and elf alike and so far my best ally was a man that I compromised with. You wish the wraiths dead and so do I. Helping you is the most sensible choice."

They walked for days but finally, they found themselves at the doors of a large fortress. The gates were open and if looked empty. Celebrimbor lead him to the keep and then to a special room the looked over the entire fort and the surrounding lands.

Celebrimbor gestured to a book that James picked up and on the cover was written.

_Concerning RingWraiths_

_A hunter's guide_

_By Talion Brandt, and Eltariel of Lothlorien_

**In the following months, Ironwood and Celbrimbor tracked down and destroyed the remaining wraiths. It was at first Celbrimbor's desire to dominate them but Ironwood would not allow it. After the wraiths were destroyed a new power rose in Mordor. The Iron Lord had risen to Power. **


End file.
